PART ONE

My brother David and I have had this trip planned since January – happy to finally be there. First game was an Angel win over the Dodgers with a score of 4-0. Ohtani and Trout were both 0 for 3. Dodgers beat the White Sox 12-9 in the second game. Ohtani and Trout had hits – the Dodgers Yamamoto did not do well in his second start of spring training.

Kiss the Cook was a funky and fun place for a country breakfast. Great service and friendly servers. We had been eating snacks out of our cooler, so this was a welcome change. We’re not camping, although the Motel 6 was certainly close to it.

Cuff is a local hot spot for dinner in the Glendale area around Phoenix. The “French Cuff” cocktail had an unusual mixture of ingredients but was quite tasty. Burgers were the messy kind and pretty good. According to their website, they have been named the Best of the Valley.

PART TWO

On to my friend Karen’s house in Phoenix for a quick over-night stay. Food is always high on my agenda, so we took her to Pizzeria Bianco for lunch.

Pizzeria Bianco was featured on Chrissy and Dave Dine Out on Hulu. Their wood-fired pizzas have no traditional ingredients, and I was anxious to try one. The grilled skewers with fontina and prosciutto were delicious. The “Wiseguy” pizza contained no sauce – just smoked mozzarellla, onions and fennel sausage. I was not disappointed.

Our enjoyment of the Giants’ stadium was short lived. It was our first experience with lawn seating, but it rained on us. So after 2 scoreless innings, the game was called. Stopped at Subway on our way back to Karen’s. No need to show those food photos. The next morning was another story.

The Oink Cafe features 8 bacon flavors – Applewood, Jalapeno, Honey Cured, Sugar Cured, Apple Cider, Pepper, Hickory or Chef’s Choice. The 4 above that I chose were Apple Cider, Applewood, Chef’s Choice of Sugar Cured, and Honey Cured. It didn’t matter what breakfast we ordered, it was all about the BACON!

PART THREE

On our way home, we stopped to see my very bestest friend Betty and her husband Larry. Their home in La Quinta – How do I describe it? I am dubbing this place “The La Quinta Inn, Spa and Restaurant”!!

Lovely charcuterie and wine in the patio by the pool, Chef Extraordinare Larry grilled a magnificent tri-tip, and David and I figured we were certain we had found heaven on earth! Next…….

A lovely guided tour of Old Town, the local gathering spot. Notice the coffee place that, alas, was closed. They might have had a new chai concoction for me to try.

After 3 days of baseball, this was such a relaxing way to end our spring training adventure. The beds at this special “La Quinta Inn” were very comfortable and cozy, and we each had our own bathroom. Our every need was attended to – a lovely continental breakfast in the morning before we left for home. Betty and Larry are awesome friends. David even got a tour of the golf course (their backyard is about 100 yards to the first green).

The Other Thing – We have an open invitation to return. I guess maybe we had not outstayed our welcome.